The scientific field was traditionally described as male-dominated. A good number of science pioneers were men. However, some women also did dip their toes in the scientific field. These science women pioneers did make significant contributions to the science world. The science community did not widely recognize the accomplishments of female scientists until 1749 when the works of the first female scientist were published [1]. This paper delves into the lives and contributions to the field of Thermodynamics of famous female scientists, namely Emilie du Châtelet, Maria Goeppert-Mayer and Lise Meitner.
Emilie du Châtelet features in the list of women who broke the glass ceiling in the science world [2]. Emilie’s birthplace is documented as having been in Paris, France, in the year 1706 to a family belonging to the French aristocratic society [2] . Having been born in a noble family, her family was privileged to host notable scientists and mathematicians often. During these visits, Emilie got the opportunity to meet renowned writer by the name Voltaire [2]. Emilie and Voltaire co-authored the book titled, Eléments de la philosophie de Newton , translated in English as Elements of Newton’s Philosophy . The book was written in French, and it elaborated on the postulations by Newton on the topics of astronomy and optics. Although the book was published under Voltaire’s name, Emilie got the recognition for her contribution in the preface section where Voltaire candidly stated that the work was a consequence of the joint effort with Emilie. Through this publication, Emilie became the inaugural woman to earn recognition for her accomplishments and contribution to the field of Thermodynamics.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The prevalent discrimination during Emilie’s upbringing denied her the opportunity to join a scientific society or acquire education all because she was a woman. Nevertheless, Emilie received knowledge in science and mathematics through getting teachings from distinguished scholars whom she used to host at her house [2] . Emilie secretly researched various scientific topics. Following her research, Emilie took part in a scientific contest in 1737 during which she made a presentation on multiple issues such as the nature of light, heat and fire [2] . She also made a submission of her dissertation titled, Dissertation sur la nature et la propagation du feu . In the dissertation, she postulated that the various colors of light had varied heating powers. She also documented the existence of infrared radiation. Although Emilie did not win the contest, her research paper was published, and it received a positive perception from the scientific society [2] . Thus, despite the challenges in acquiring education, Emilie, through personal effort, was able to make significant scientific contribution.
Emilie’s contributions to the energy and energy conservation topic have also been well documented. Emilie expressed her thoughts and undertook studies and experiments on energy and energy conservation [2] . Having learned of the investigations relating to energy and energy conservation that had been conducted by Willem ‘s Gravesande, Emilie performed follow-up experiments in 1749 [2] . Emilie’s experiment involved dropping lead balls into a mass of clay. Doubling the velocity of the balls resulted in a penetration four times deeper while tripling the velocity led to a penetration that was nine times deeper. Emilie concluded that energy is directly proportional to the product of the mass of a body and its squared velocity that is, E = mv². Emilie’s finding was a departure from an earlier postulation by Newton that the energy is directly proportional to the product of the mass of a body and its velocity, that is E = mv [2].
Despite Emilie’s accomplishments in the scientific world, it is noteworthy to state that the public has often overlooked them and publicized less important matters. As one searches for information relating to Émilie du Châtelet, her sexual affair with Voltaire during her husband’s time in the military features prominently [2, 3]. The incident seems to be more well-known than her other contributions in science. The incident is a clear demonstration of society’s harsh judgement and perception of women. Women’s contributions to scientific development are often overshadowed by less important issues such as sexual scandals.
Maria Goeppert-Mayer is another acclaimed woman who contributed to the field of Thermodynamics. She was born in 1906 in Germany [4]. Her father was a professor, and thus he had a full understanding of the necessity of education. Cognisant of the challenges faced by women who wanted to pursue education at the time, her parents enrolled her into a private school which helped in her exam preparations so that she could secure university admission.
Having received the requisite education, Maria undertook various researches and had her works published as from 1931 to 1939 [4] . Together with her husband, Maria co-authored a book on Statistical Mechanics. Being a woman, she was discriminated against by institutions and could not secure teaching positions in Germany or America. While working at the Substitute Alloy Materials (SAM) Laboratory located in Columbia University, Maria researched on isotope separation under the supervision of Harold Urey [4] . She studied the thermodynamic and chemical characteristics of uranium hexafluoride. She also researched on the potentiality of using the photochemical reactions to separate isotopes. She also collaborated with Edward Teller on a study involving the development of “super” bomb [4] .
Maria also worked with Edward at the University of Chicago following World War II [4] . Besides working in the laboratory, she volunteered as an associate professor. During her time at Chicago, she established the mathematical model of nuclear shells a discovery which was helpful in the later development of nuclear physics. The discovery won her the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 [4] . Despite the gender discrimination challenge, Maria gave the world an important discovery in the field of Thermodynamics.
Another woman who has been celebrated because of her contributions in the field of Thermodynamics is Lise Meitner. Lise was born to a Jewish family in 1878 in Austria [5] . Despite the prevailing thoughts by Hitler that Jews should convert their faith, Lise became a Protestant. In those times, women in Austria were restricted from accessing education. Consequently, Lise did not acquire advanced education until 1901 when she secured university admission [5] . Lise’s teacher during her university education was Ludwig Boltzmann, and under his teaching, she discovered that her passion was in the Physics subject.
Lise acquired a doctorate and moved to Berlin in 1907, where she studied with the acclaimed scholar named Max Planck [5] . Lise collaborated with Otto Hahn, a chemist, in studying the topic of radioactivity. The collaborated research was enriched by the diverse knowledge held by the two scientists. Lise brought on board her Physics knowledge while Otto enriched the study with his Chemistry expertise. Their collaborative research led to the discovery of the element protactinium [6]. Lise migrated out of Germany to Sweden in 1938 [5] . Despite her relocation, she carried on with her work at Manne Siegbahn’s institute located in Stockholm. Lise received limited support while working at Siegbahn’s institute. The failure to give Lise the full support required for her work at Siegbahn’s institute has been attributed to the prejudice against women scientists.
Otto and Lise met covertly in Copenhagen in 1939 and made arrangements on how they would conduct new experiments [5] . Lise and Otto performed nuclear fission experiments at Otto’s laboratory. The experiments gave the proof for nuclear fission. The scientific community recognized Otto’s research work in nuclear fission as he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Noteworthy and disturbing was that despite having taken part in the nuclear fission research, Lise’s efforts and contributions were largely ignored. Her role in the nuclear fission discovery was understated [5]. It was not until 1992 that Lise received some recognition for her contribution to this research. The scientific community appreciated her contribution to the science world by having the heaviest known element in the world, Meitnerium, christened in her honor.
Arguably, Lise’s contribution to the field of Thermodynamics is noteworthy. Despite the several challenges that she faced in her research efforts; she did leave her mark in the science world. Some of the challenges she faced included the lack of support from the Germans and especially during the second world war. She also experienced challenges in her research efforts since her supervisor was not a believer in the capability of women scientists. Her research partner, Otto Hahn, could also be described as having failed to recognize her contribution to their research when he was awarded the Nobel Prize. For most of her life, she struggled so much to have her contributions to the science world recognized. Only in the recent past, after the world acknowledged the need for equal rights for women and men, have her contributions been recognized. Summarily, she is described as a distinguished woman scientist in the 20 th century.
Conclusively, from the discussion of the lives and works of women scientists it would be right to state that female scientists in the pre 20 th century experienced lots of challenges in their pursuits to make their contributions to the science world. The denial to access to education was a notable challenge faced by women. For the women who did take part in scientific researches, the failure to be recognized for their research efforts and accomplishments was eminent. The failure to be recognized hugely stemmed from the underlying issue of discrimination and unequal rights between men and women. The acknowledgement of equal rights between men and women saw women scientists receive increased recognition for their contributions and accomplishments. Emilie du Châtelet, Maria Goeppert-Mayer and Lise Meitner are amongst women scientists who have received recognition for their contribution to the field of Thermodynamics.
References
[1] W. Michael, “The thermodynamics of gender: Lawrence, science and sexism,” Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature , vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 83–108, 1995. JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/24775814. [Accessed 15 Nov. 2020 ].
[2] A. Chodos, E. Tretkoff, J. Ouellette and N. Ramlagan, “December 1706: Birth of Émilie du Châtelet”, Aps.org , 2008. [Online]. Available: https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200812/physicshistory.cfm. [Accessed: 15- Nov- 2020].
[3] K. Detlefsen, "Émilie du Châtelet (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)", Plato.stanford.edu , 2013. [Online]. Available: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/emilie-du-chatelet/. [Accessed: 15- Nov- 2020].
[4] Atomic Heritage Foundation and National Museum of Nuclear Science, “Maria Goeppert-Mayer”, Atomic Heritage Foundation , 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/maria-goeppert-mayer. [Accessed: 15- Nov- 2020].
[5] "Lise Meitner: A Battle for Ultimate Truth", Sdsc.edu . [Online]. Available: https://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/meitner.html. [Accessed: 15- Nov- 2020].
[6] "Otto Hahn | Biographies", Atomicarchive.com . [Online]. Available: https://www.atomicarchive.com/resources/biographies/hahn.html. [Accessed: 15- Nov- 2020].
